Zippered pants and method of use

ABSTRACT

Pants are provided with a pair of zippers to facilitate the donning of the pants when a pants wearer is wearing large footwear that the pants wearer does not want to remove prior to donning the pants. Each zipper extends between a front thigh portion of each pant leg, along a side portion of the pant leg and terminates at a free end of the pant leg. Unzipping the zipper creates a large opening at the front thigh portion of each pant leg so that the pants wearer can easily put large footwear through the opening and don the pants. The zippers can be zipped up so that the pants wearer can engage in any desired activity.

This application claims priority from provisional application No. 62/271,612 under 35 USC 119(e), which was filed on Dec. 28, 2015 and is incorporated in its entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pair of pants that have zippered legs, with the zippers located on each pant leg to allow a user to don the pants while wearing large footwear.

BACKGROUND ART

Donning a pair of pants when wearing ski or snowboarding boots, large hunting boots and the like can be problematic as the opening in the pant leg is not big enough to accommodate the footwear.

Pants are known with zippers along the side of the pants. However, even if these pants are being worn and the zipper is unzipped to create an opening in the pant leg, a person wearing large footwear has to twist the pants so that the opening created by unzipping the zipper is more aligned with the person's foot passing through the waist portion of the pants and entering the pant leg. Thus, a need exists to provide a better way for a person to don pants when wearing large footwear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an improvement in the field of zippered pants. According to the invention, the zipper is located on the pants so that when the zipper is unzipped, an opening is created in a front section of the pant leg, at what would be a front thigh portion of the pant leg. With the location of the zippers, a person wearing large footwear can unzip the zippers to create the opening and place the footwear through the waist portion of the pants and through the opening in the thigh portion of the pants created by the unzipping of the zipper. With the placement of the zipper starting in the thigh portion of the pant leg, the opening created by unzipping the zipper is in alignment with the toe of the footwear being placed into the waist portion of the pants, thus making it easy to don the pants while wearing footwear.

When wearing pants with a zipper along the side of the pant leg, the opening created by this zipper is essentially at a right angle to the direction that the toe portion of the footwear travels when entering the waist portion of the pants and pant leg. With the inventive pants, there is no need for twisting or other manipulation of the pants. The opening created by the uniquely-positioned zipper is in alignment with the direction that the footwear is moving through the waist portion and pant leg. Thus, the person can easily don the pants wearing large footwear by first unzipping the zipper, placing each footwear through the waist portion and then the opening created by zipper opening, and then zipping the zipper up to close the opening so that the pants function in their intended use.

The zipper can be located on each pant leg so that it travels from the thigh portion of the pant leg to either the inside or the outside of the pant leg. The zipper can follow a curved path from the thigh portion of the path leg and then extend in a generally straight path when reaching the inside or outside of the pant leg. The zipper pull can be located on either or both ends of the zipper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the inventive pants.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pants of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the inventive pants.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the pants of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view of the FIG. 1 embodiment with one of the zippers unzipped.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the inventive pants.

FIG. 7 shows front perspective view of the pants with the zipper unzipped.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a variation on the curve of the zipper shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary pair of pants 10 with a pair of zippers 1, pant legs 3, and a waist portion 4. Each zipper extends from a first end 5 located at a front thigh portion 6 of the pant leg 3 and along an outside side portion 9 of the pant leg to the pant leg end 7. The front thigh portion 6 is disposed beneath any front pockets of the pants and above the knee of the pant leg 3.

Each zipper 1 extends from the front thigh portion 6 in a curved manner to the outside side portion 9 of the pant leg 11 and then extends from the outside side portion 9 in a generally straight line to the end 7.

The zipper pull 13 is shown located at the pant leg end 7, but it could also be located at the termination of the zipper 1 at the end 5 of the zipper.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the pants of FIG. 1. Here, the zipper 1 follows a path that could coincide with a seam sewn into the side of the pant leg 3. If the pant legs 3 have such a seam, placing the zipper at the seam makes pants manufacture easier as the zipper actually becomes the seam for the pant leg. The seam on the side of a pant leg is a well-known part of a pant leg and further explanation is not deemed necessary for understanding of the invention. Basically, it is a line running down the side of the pants that is positioned generally in the middle of the pant leg when viewed from the side. If the pant leg has no seam, the zippers could be located where the seam would be and just sewn into the pants as any zipper is normally attached.

While the zipper could follow a seam or where a seam would be on a pant leg, it could also be displaced from the seam as shown in the pants 10′ in FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, the zipper 1 follows an outside side portion 9′ that is slightly displaced from a line 14 representing a seam of the pant leg 3. While the zipper is shown displaced from one side of the line 14, it could be positioned to be on the other side of the line 14 as well. Thus, the zipper 1, after extending from the front thigh portion 6 and curving toward a side portion of the pant leg, can follow along a seam line as in FIG. 1 or be slightly displaced from the seam line. In either case, the unzipping of the zippers 1 creates a sufficiently large opening in the pant leg at the front thigh portion that a person donning the pants can easily put a foot with large footwear thereon through the waist portion 4 and then through the opening created by the zipper opening.

FIG. 5 shows an illustration of one of the zippers of the FIG. 1 embodiment in the unzipped state showing an opening 15 at the front thigh portion of the pant leg 3. FIG. 7 shows another view from the front, showing a wearer having a pair of pants 50 underneath the zippered pants 10. This clearly shows a wide opening 51 created when the zipper 1 is unzipped, and particularly a wide opening 53 in the thigh portion of the zippered pants 10. These wide openings, particularly the opening 53, permit the wearer to easily slip a booted leg, even when wearing pants like in FIG. 7, through the waist portion 4 of the zippered pants 10 and through the opening 53 without interference from the pants 10.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention, wherein the zipper 1 extends along an inside side portion 16 of the pants 10″. This is basically a mirror image of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and would function in the same manner.

The exact curve of the zipper in FIG. 1 is only an example and the zipper can have a different curve as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, wherein a zippered pair of pants 10′″ are illustrated with a zipper 1′ having a different curve as compared to FIG. 1.

The pants can be any type and be made from any material, e.g., synthetic materials, natural materials like cotton, blends thereof. Preferably, the pants are the type that would be worn by persons having a need to wear large footwear like ski boots, snowboard boots, hunting boots, work boots, and the like. The pants could also be designed to be worn over another pair of pants or leg coverings, e.g., thermal wear, or just be worn over a person's legs without any intervening material.

The front thigh location is a location on the pant leg so that when the footwear passes through the waist portion, the upper part of the pant leg is opened sufficiently to allow the footwear to easily enter the opening. If the zipper terminates too close to the knee of the pants, the pant leg would not be opened near the waist portion of the pants and the footwear could still get hung up in the pant leg after passing through the waist portion and before entering the opening created by zipper unzipping.

While the zipper is shown extending straight down the side portion of the pant leg, it could also have other shapes, an undulating or sinusoidal one for example.

In use and referring to the FIG. 1 embodiment, the person to wear the pants would first unzip the zipper 1 of each pant leg 3. This creates the large opening 15, which is located in the front thigh portion of each pant leg 3. This opening allows the person to easily insert a foot containing bulky footwear such as a ski or snowboard boot, hunting boot, or the like through the pant leg 3 after passing through the waist portion 4 of the pants 10. The person does not have to twist or manipulate the pants to don them.

Once the footwear passes through the pant legs 3, the zippers 1 can be closed and the person can engage in any desired activity.

The process is reversed to remove the pants. The zippers are again unzipped to create the opening and the person can remove the pants easily without interference between the footwear and the pant leg 3.

The pants provide a great advantage in that a person wearing large footwear such as ski or snowboard boots, hunting boots or the like that would need to wear pants, either other already worn pants, or as a sole pair of pants, does not have to remove the large footwear to wear the pants and, at the same time, can easily don the pants due to the large opening created by the zipper locating and unzipping thereof.

As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the present invention as set forth above and provides a new and improved zippered pants and method of use.

Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations from the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. In pants having a pair of pant legs, each pant leg having an inside and outside side portions and a front thigh portion, the improvement comprising a pair of zippers, each zipper having first and second ends and a zipper pull, the first end of the each zipper located at a free end of each pant leg, the second end of the zipper terminating in a front thigh portion of each pant leg, each zipper extending from the first end at the front thigh portion, curving to one of the inside or outside side portions of each pant leg, extending along the inside or outside side portion of the pant leg to the second end at the free end of each pant leg.
 2. The pants of claim 1, wherein the zipper extends along an outside side portion.
 3. The pants of claim 1, wherein the zipper extends along an inside side portion.
 4. The pants of claim 1, wherein zipper pull is located at the first end of each zipper.
 5. The pants of claim 1, wherein zipper pull is located at the second end of each zipper.
 6. In a method of donning a pair of pants by a pants wearer, the improvement comprising using the pants of claim l and comprising: a) unzipping each zipper to form an opening in the front thigh portion of each pant leg to create a large opening to receive a leg and footwear of the pants wearer; b) inserting the leg and footwear of the pants wear through the opening without having to twist the pant leg and donning the pants on the pants wearer; and c) zipping the zippers.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: a) unzipping each zipper to form an opening in the front thigh portion of each pant leg to create a large opening to remove a leg of the pants wearer from the pants; and b) removing the leg and footwear of the pants wear through the opening. 